Sometimes writing great content can be difficult when trying to write for search engines and robots. Here are some easy steps you can use. Keep these in mind when writing and you’ll get more search engine traffic along with visitors that actually enjoy reading your content.
Write Great SEO Content in 10 Easy Steps
Step1: Write a clickable headline– The headline is the first thing that both readers and robots see. Make the title as compelling as possible, and work a keyword or two to the search engines know what your content is about. You can entice more readers to click by promising, either explicitly or implicitly, that your content will improve their lives in some way.If you want examples of some excellent titles, you need look no further than our own SEO.com blog:
These two headlines use specific details to create a sense of urgency and invite website visitors to read more.
Step 2: Make good use of keywords – Putting keywords to good use in content does not mean over-stuffing or creating spammy articles. Use your keywords a few times near the beginning of your content to let the robots know what the page is about, but make sure they sound natural to the real people who will actually read the sentence.
Step 3: Be useful – Readers crave useful information, and SEO-friendly content gives it to them. Useful content can take on a few different forms; it may be entertaining, educational, newsworthy, or informational. Useful content adds to your customers’ lives, answers their questions, and encourages them to share what they’ve read.For an example of extremely useful content, check out our three part series explaining Pinterest. This series serves to answer many of the questions that readers have about an extremely timely topic.
Step 4: Insert some personality – Nothing drives readers away faster than boring copy. People enjoy writing that is conversational and entertaining. Write as if you were talking to a friend. Try to make yourself and your product likeable.
Step 5: Avoid jargon – Every industry has buzzwords and phrases that only an insider would understand. Don’t annoy or confuse your readers by using a lot of technical terms, acronyms, or pointless wordiness. Write so that your meaning is clear and to-the-point.
Step 6: Format for scannability – Very seldom do people read every word on a webpage. Make your content user friendly by using plenty of subheadings (keyword-optimized h2 and h3 tags), lists, and text formatting to draw the eye and emphasize important points. Top ten lists and how-to articles work extremely well.
Step 7: Differentiate yourself – Stand out from other websites by posting unique and original content. If you’re writing in an overly-saturated industry, try developing a niche topic or creating a unique voice.
Step 8: Use multimedia – People and search engines love multimedia. Insert photos, charts, videos, infographics, and graphs into your content to illustrate what you’re trying to say, and use SEO-friendly markup to let the search engines know what they’re about.
Step 9: Longer is not always better – Say whatever you have to say and then stop.
Step 10: Build authority – Create content that is relevant to your readers on a regular basis. If you do this, both people and search engines will come to regard you as an authority on your subject, and whenever they need information about it, they will turn to your website first….
